The End of it All
by animebookworm44
Summary: Slight EdxWinry. Alternate end to the series. The final battle and outcome.


Wow! I'm really catching up in FMA stories!

Here's a one-shot for you. Alternate ending to the series. Hopefully believable, but I haven't technically thought everything through and come up with reasons for everything that happens in this fic, so don't blame me!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own FMA

Pairing: Slight EdxWinry; mostly concentrates on the Elric family, though.

I also want to mention that I am following the Anime timeline, not the manga, and so I shall use Mustang as the Rockbell's murderer.

* * *

**The End of it All

* * *

**

"DANGIT!" Ed shouted, clutching his fully-flesh shouder around the wound.

The homunculus Lust chuckled, her first finger still lodged in the state Alchemist's shoulder. "What's the matter, Edward?" she asked in that smooth voice of hers as she retracted her finger and blood spilled from the new wound. "Don't feel like playing today?"

Ed keeled to his knees as his hand covered the wound to staunch the bleeding.

"Brother!" the hollow voice of Alphonse shouted from where he was fighting Envy. That homunculus' foot collided with Al's helmet and the piece of metal was sent ricocheting into the wall.

"Al!" Ed cried from his spot on the ground, fearful that Envy might make Alphonse's final blow.

But the homunlulus did not. Instead he turned his attention to Edward, while Alphonse's metal shell tried to find his head. Envy lunged forward toward Ed, who barely had enough time to dodge. He clapped his hands, making the array that allowed him to do his alchemy, and transmuted his automail into that sharp weapon he was known for.

Envy smiled and backed up for Wrath to do his part.

Wrath, as the only homunculus that had the aptitude to do alchemy, stepped up willingly to fight Edward. He clapped his right arm and left foot together and made his arm into a sword, just like Ed's.

The boy homunculus charged with a roar as Ed put his automail into a defensive position, to fend off Wrath's attack while he had time to recuperate from Lust's blow.

Wrath blew Ed back into a wall.

So maybe taking on all the homunculi at once wasn't such a good idea.

The man Ed thought was the Fuhrer looked on with his assistant, who Ed was supposed to think was one Juliet Douglas. Both, however, were the last two homunculi, the deadly sins Sloth and Pride. So they had been controlling the whole thing all along. Using him to find a philosopher's stone.

"Brother! Behind you!" Alphonse called again. Ed's head snapped back just in time to dodge Wrath's attack. The blow created a crater in the wall and Wrath's hand became stuck.

Ed smiled and almost laughed at the boy's feeble attempts to get his arm out of the wall.

Lust's and Envy's eyes narrowed. Both looking at each other, the charged at once, Lust's nails extending and Envy becoming the mirror image of Ed, sword and all.

"Dang," Ed cursed under his breath. He'd barely gotten rid of Wrath for the time being and he was already faced with another attack.

Alphonse's arms finally bumped into his head, and he placed the piece of metal back on his head, hurrying to stop the homunculus "Ed" from hurting the real one.

Ed dodged Lust's fingers, bringing her straight into his sword. He withdrew the weapon, but knew she wouldn't stay down. Homunculi could only be killed when they were near the remains of the person their Alchemist creator was trying to bring back.

That was why Ed had a little "surprise" in his pocket.

* * *

"Miss Rockbell," Roy Mustang warned from outside the door at the Hughes' house. "Please don't make me barge this door down. I'm indebted to Hughes enough without having to pay for damages to his house,"

Winry rolled her eyes from inside the room. Like she would listen to anything this guy said. He'd killed her parent's for goodness sake! Why the heck should she listen to this dope! What did he know that would possibly be of interest to hear.

"Dang..." Mustang cursed. "... It's about Fullmetal,"

The door was opened a split second later, the worry and concern in Winry's heart overshadowing her hatred of the Colonel.

"What's the matter with Ed!" Winry demanded more than asked.

"That's what we're going to find out," Mustang said, grabbing Winry's wrist and forcing her outside with him.

Winry stopped struggling as soon as she saw the others Mustang had gathered. Hawkeye was in the driver's seat of the car, waiting impatiently for the Colonel. Izumi and her husband were put in the back, Sig taking up two seats rather than one.

"Get in," he ordered and made his way to the passenger's seat.

Winry was very confused now. What were they all doing here! Riza started the car and they zoomed off as fast as the ignition would take them.

"Colonel," Izumi began, her voice sounding like she shouldn't be messed with. "What has happened to my student,"

Mustang paused. "...We have reason to believe that Fullmetal has successfully made a philosopher's stone,"

Gasps were heard from everyone except Mustang. Hawkeye even stirred in the driver's seat, causing them to swerve along the path until she regained control of herself.

"Sir," Hawkeye then said. "I must protest, it is impossible-"

"We also have reason to believe that he's gone after all six of the remaining Homunculi," Mustang cut Hawkeye's comment off.

They swerved even more as all tenants of the car shouted "WHAT!"

"And our best bet would be... that he's at Laboratory 5,"

Winry almost had a heart attack.

"Where are you recieving your information from, Colonel," Izumi asked in a strained tone.

"...From a good source," Mustang replied.

"Who exactly," Winry demanded.

"... Alphonse..." Mustang replied simply.

Dead silence.

* * *

Envy slashed at Alphonse. The suit of armor, unable to get over the image of his brother attacking him, froze up. Envy's blade sliced through Al's armor, cutting off his leg. Alphonse fell to the ground, his one leg unable to support him.

Ed turned on Envy, plunging his sword into the back of the person who looked exactly like him.

Ed turned away swiftly, toward Gluttony, who was told to wait so that he could eat them later.

"Brother," Alphonse said warningly.

"Shut up, Al, I know what I'm doing," Ed mumbled.

"But brother, if you do beat him... we'll just have to face-"

"-Her," Ed finished for him. "Exactly,"

Gluttony charged, Edward's victory over Lust getting him riled up. He gnashed his teeth together and opened his jaw, attempting to intimidate Edward who lunged forth, sword at the ready, arm still bleeding profusely, Wrath still trying to release himself from the crater.

Edward simply struck Gluttony straight in the mouth, through his ouroboros before the acid-infused jaws had a chance to close on his automail, rendering it useless. He retracted the blood-stained sword from the overweight homunculus.

Alphonse made a funny noise, almost as if regretting this fight.

"Sir," Sloth said to Pride, her eyes closed. She knew it would come to this. The one-on-one with the Fullmetal Alchemist. She had been waiting for it.

"Please, go ahead Captain," Pride replied, his face cracking a smile.

She stepped forward, making eye contact with Edward for the first time.

"Fullmetal Alchemist," Sloth said to him. "It will be a pleasure to defeat you. I have heard so much about you from my comerades,"

Ed almost laughed at her attempt to make conversation. "I'm not one for talking," Ed said, wiping his bloodstained blade on his pants almost as if to clean it.

"My mistake," Sloth said, her arm liquifying.

It shot out toward Edward, infusing his senses with water as the liquid filled his mouth and nostrils. She was suffocating him. And from that far away, too!

She withdrew her water-infused arm from him, returning it to its normal state. Ed coughed out, on his knees.

'_Gotta get closer,_' Edward thought. '_It's the only way,_'

"You see, Edward?" Sloth chucked, "Now you can't even use words. I can take you out from this far away from you. Whereas your fighting is all up close. I'll surely win this before you can get within twenty feet of me,"

"We'll see," Edward said, charging forward as Sloth's arms lunged out at him again. They followed his dodges as if they could track him.

But Edward wouldn't give up.

Lust groaned as she picked herself up of the ground. Wrath, with a final pull, freed himself from the wall, transmuting his blade back into an arm again. Envy jumped to his feet with anger. Gluttony just rolled over to watch Fullmetal be beaten the Sloth.

'_What if,..._' Edward thought. '_Yes!_' He quickly withdrew the thing from his pocket, flinging it at the Homunculus.

"What?" Sloth cringed before the flying object. "Where did you get that!" she shouted at the boy.

She started when she found Edward's blade at her throat.

"Where do you think?" Edward asked, picking the bone up from off the ground. "Before Greed died, he gave me the secret to killing you homunculi. Do you know what he said to me? He told me that a homunlulus is always weakest when it's near the bones of the person the Alchemist was trying to resurrect. So there you go, _Mother_. I got it from your grave,"

All of the Homunculi's eyes widened at this.

"M-m-mother?" Sloth stammered, disbelieving.

Ed's hardened and glaring eyes softened as he looked into her face.

"Ed," Alphonse murmured.

A speck of water landed on the floor.

The Fullmetal Alchemist was crying.

"I'm sorry, Al. I thought I could do this, but I can't. I just can't," Ed pulled down his arm from Sloth's throat. "I can't kill her. Not again,"

The homunculi beside Sloth stood, their resolve hardened. But Sloth staed on the ground, looking at her son from another time, still crying.

"B-b-but, I can do this," he looked at his mother, and pressed a kiss to her cheek. Then he turned, taking a stone from his pocket.

With a cry, he clasped his hands over the red stone and pushed them to the floor where the sign of the Ouroboros glowed red.

* * *

The red light coming from Lab 5 was enough to get the passengers of the car to move out.

"Colonel!" Havoc called from the gate. "We've secured the perimeter. No one's come out, or gone in,"

"Good. Has it glowed like that before?" he called.

"Nope, first time," Havoc called back.

He turned to Riza, "Hawkeye, let's move in,"

"Sir," she confirmed, nodding and taking her gun from its holster.

Winry, Izumi, and Sig looked on as the Colonel and his First Lieutennant barged through the front doors. It only took a moment for them to nod to each other as they secretly followed the Colonel inside, sneaking past Havoc's patrol (which did not reassure them one bit).

The halls were dark as Mustang and Hawkeye moved through, trying to find the young alchemist and his younger, but taller, brother.

Mustang snapped his fingers, creating a light to guide them.

Winry jumped backwards, almost exposed from Mustang's light. From there, she, Izumi, and Sig were careful to stay out of the light.

"Sir, this door is where we're getting the signal from Alphonse's tracker," Hawkeye said to Mustang. "But it's coming in hazy,"

"Then this is where they must be," Mustang said. "On the count of three. One, Two-"

Hawkeye didn't even wait for three as she kicked the door open, gun at the ready.

Bodies lay everywhere.

"What the-" Mustang said, taken aback.

"Edward!" Winry shouted, unable to contain herself any longer. She ran past Mustang and Hawkeye into the room, her eyes missing everything except for the body of Edward Elric. "Ed!" she shouted, running to him.

"Miss Rockbell!" both Mustang and Hawkeye shouted after her at once. But Winry wasn't listening.

"Edward?" her voice pleaded. "Wake up, C'mon Ed, wake up!" She picked his head up and placed it in her lap. She wiped the blood from the edge of his mouth, and placed a kiss to his forehead.

"Brother? What happened?" a small voice came from across the room. Only Hawkeye and Mustang bothered to notice it. Hawkeye trained her gun on the boy who had sat up. The boy yawned and stretched, then wiped his eyes. "Brother? Brother where are you!" the boy shouted, suddenly seeming very frightened and alone. Then he spied his brother with his head in a girl's lap. Who was that? How did brother know her? He stood shakily and walked forward.

"Don't move!" Hawkeye shouted at the boy. He was a potential threat, and she didn't want him going at all near Edward, or Winry for that matter.

Izumi and Sig appeared in the doorway as the boy looked frightened at the woman who had a gun trained on him.

"Alphonse!" Izumi shouted.

"Alphonse?" Mustang and Hawkeye repeated.

"Alphonse! Come here!" came a completely unfamiliar voice. "Who are you people?" she asked. "What are you doing to my son?"

"Mother!" Alphonse shouted, running to the woman and hugging her fiercely. "It worked! It worked! Brother! We brought back mother!"

"That's not possible-" Izumi stuttered from the doorway.

"What the heck is going on here!" Mustang shouted, capturing the attention of everyone in the room, save Winry, whose attention was placed on Ed alone.

"Brother?" Alphonse skipped over to the girl whose lap held his brother's head. "Brother? Did you hear? Mother's back!" his small hands reached out to his brother's shoulders. "Wait- You're not my brother,"

Winry only then noticed the small hands touching Edward. "Stay away from him you-" her words died on her tongue as she saw who it was. "Al? Alphonse is that really you?" her hands cupped the small boy's chin.

The boy froze in fear. "Who are you? What did you do to brother?"

"Alphonse!" she cried hugging the boy close to her.

"Leave my sone alon-... Winry?" Comprehension dawned on Trisha Elric as she looked upon the young woman.

"Winry?" Alphonse pushed away from her to look at her face. "It _is_ you! Why are you so much older? Why is brother so much older?"

"But that means-" Winry pulled off Ed's shirt, revealing a full and completely flesh body. "My automail- it's gone," She felt Ed's left shin, to make sure that it was flesh there too. "Mrs. Elric?" Winry asked, tears forming in her eyes.

"Winry, dear? What happened to you? You're grown-up," Trisha Elric asked, coming over to the confused girl.

"I- I don't get it..." was all Winry could say. "This must be a dream. It has to be. EDWARD! WAKE UP!" she shouted at the alchemist, shaking him.

"Winry, stop that right now," Izumi commanded. Winry broke down crying on top of Ed's body.

Different groans were heard from all over the place. The former-homunculi started to wake up.

"What happened?" Wrath asked. "Who are you! Where am I?"

Izumi's eyes widened at the homunculus she created.

Lust sat up to reveal herself as a young Ishbalan woman. Envy revealed his true form with his bonde hair and elder complexion. Gluttony looked the same, he was created that way. Pride had both eyes again and his need for the eyepatch disappeared.

"Goodness," Lust said, her voice the same, "Where are we?"

Mustang and Hawkeye watched these incidents with disbelief and confusion.

"Edward? Please get up," Winry whispered to the alchemist.

"...Lust said she wanted to be human,"

Winry shot up, and all eyes were drawn toward Ed.

"Edward, you're alive. Oh, you're alive," Winry said, hugging him, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"'Course I'm alive. Alway's said I'd come back to you, Win. I don't make promises I can't keep," he smiled at her, tracing a hand down her cheek, and sat up, with some difficulty and help from Winry.

"Lust said she wanted to be human. That was the only reason she was trying to make me create a philosopher's stone. Well, I granted her wish. She's human. They're all human. Plus, Al and I are back to flesh-and-blood," he put a hand on his little brother's shoulder. "Even if they don't remember a thing about being Homunculi, or a wandering soul in a suit of armor, they're all back." He smiled contentedly and leaned against Winry.

"Fine then," Mustang said. "Edward, I expect you to make a report on this and hand it to me once you're done recovering in the hospital, so I can figure out WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED HERE! Hawkeye, get medics up here. Now,"

* * *

End!

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Hehehe. Had this idea on my mind for some time now. This is the first fic I've ever actually written in one sitting!

REVIEW PLEASE!

animebookworm44


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